Sometimes, you just have One of Those Days, right? This morning, I had an appointment, then needed to prepare handouts and look great for a professional group meeting. I felt pushed to get everything together on time, but by dropping the manicure, I did make the meeting on time with all my bits and pieces. The meeting took surprising turns, yet, there was a lot of interest in my upcoming classes. Someone even registered right away. Toward the end of the meeting, my phone signaled silently that my neighbors were ready for me to come by; I took the call, dashing out of the meeting room to start talking. I told them I could come by in about 45 minutes. I gave thanks repeatedly, for the goodness of the meeting, and for the new registrant, all the way home. The repetition of the Thank You was very calming.

Photo by Fotolia

At home, I changed into jeans and went to help the neighbors move. They gifted me with a carload of garden pots and décor. I was exhausted from lifting and carrying. Heading back to my door, I saw the plumbing van. Within a half hour, I was in full swing as Immediate Past President of the HOA, negotiating settlement of a sewer overflow issue, hiring remediation, planning a hotel for the resident, signing a contract. I called my husband and asked if, by chance, he would like to go out for dinner? I was too exhausted for stand and cook—although I love my own cooking—and I still had writing to do in the evening. We had a lovely quick dinner nearby, and we toasted to Us with margaritas.

Whew! So when you have a really full day, loaded with changes, what can you do to manage your stress and not just SCREAM?

Actually, screaming would be good, if you had a pillow and a bathroom to retreat to. You can actually scream into a pillow and discharge a lot of stress. Unless someone hears you. They worry!

Keep alert for things you can drop. I dropped the manicure and just quickly filed my nail tips. That bought me 40 minutes that I dearly needed.

Have a long, slow exhale to the end of your breath. Imagine any negative rolling right out of you, with your breath. Then take several slow breaths. This will shift your metabolism to alkaline, due to the new balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide, relaxing you within 60 seconds. Cool, huh?

Wherever you are, roll those shoulders in a stretching movement, in any direction. Notice the warmth in your feet?

If some of your stress is FEAR of something, gently massage your forefinger. Notice how your fears seem less urgent.

Do any of these things, and you can beat that sensation of “crazy” on a busy day with a lot of changes. And scream privately! It helps.

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● Kebba Buckley Button is a Master’s Degree scientist, a minister, and the award-winning author of the 2012 book, Peace Within: Your Peaceful Inner Core (http://tinyurl.com/abd47jr), and also Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br). She also has a natural healing and stress management practice and is a celebrated public speaker.

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